


The Interview

by Tru_tru



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Crime Writer Jughead, F/M, FBI Agent Betty Cooper
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:22:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26432581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tru_tru/pseuds/Tru_tru
Summary: Celebrated crime writer Jughead Jones manages to score the interview of a lifetime- Betty Cooper, the youngest head of the Behavior Science Unit in FBI history, with a dark past shrouded in rumor and mystery.All he wants is a chance to tell her story- but what happens when he becomes a part of it?
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	The Interview

Jughead Jones pulled at the tie around this throat. He hated having to get this dressed up, but appearances mattered in interviews- there was no way around it. People weren’t usually inclined to open up to a man in a beanie and a leather jacket.

He shifted in his chair- it was one of a few lined up against the wall. He’d noticed several spots like this around the building- waiting seats. There were plenty of rooms in this building you didn’t want to try just walking into without express permission. At least he had the luxury of a press badge, so those who passed by him in the hallway knew he was truly supposed to be there.

He didn’t feel like he was supposed to be there. He’d published ten books in eight years, interviewed murderers, cops, bereaved family members, but never a federal agent.

And Betty Cooper wasn’t just any federal agent- she was the youngest head of the Behavior Science Unit in FBI history. She was a legend- recruited in high school, rumored to have singlehandedly solved a major murder investigation when she was only 16. Accounts of her origins varied; some claimed she had been raised by serial killers who’d trained her how to kill until she went rogue and promised local cops a mountain’s worth of evidence if they could get her emancipated.

Personally, that sounded a little far-fetched, but he had heard of stranger things happening. He was a crime writer, after all.

He looked at the clock, watched as the seconds ticked on and on. At 11:04, the door to Agent Cooper’s office opened. A young man in a grey suit stepped out.

“Send in my 11 o’clock, will you Kevin?” Came a voice from behind him.

The man looked at Jughead and raised his eyebrows. Jughead stood.

“Pretty sure that’s me.”

Kevin left the door open and waved a hand in an ‘after you’ gesture, before walking away.

Jughead hovered on the edge of the threshold. Agent Cooper was bent down, writing herself a note on a post-it. When she was done, she looked up, and Jughead’s heart skipped a beat out of sheer nervousness.

“Hello Agent Cooper, I’m Jughead Jones.” She smiled a little and nodded.

“Yes, I know. Please, come in, have a seat.” He did as she instructed.

“Thank you. Can I just say, it’s an honor to meet you. When I requested this meeting, I never imagined I’d actually…” He trails off, at a loss for words for one of the first times in his life.

He hadn’t expected her to be so beautiful. He’d seen pictures, grainy newspaper images that occasionally accompanied articles about her meteoric rise at the agency, but they hadn’t prepared him for the real thing.

She’s wearing a dark blue blazer that matches well with the pale blue blouse beneath it, her slightly curled hair falling just past her shoulders. 

She smiled and leaned back in her chair.

“The honor is mine, Mr. Jones. I’ve read several of your novels- you’re very good.” Pride swelled in his chest.

“Thank you. Coming from you that- that means a lot.” 

“So, my assistant tells me you’re working on a new project.”

“Yes- a children’s series. A Nancy Drew for the modern-day.”

Her smile became impossibly bright.

“That sounds wonderful! I loved Nancy Drew. But why would you need to interview me for a kids’ book? My work isn’t exactly family-friendly.”

“Actually…” Jughead drew in a breath- this was the hard part. Betty Cooper was famously tight-lipped about her personal life- even her sexuality was up for debate. “My idea was to create a character based on…you.” Her smile faded and Jughead felt like he had dumped water on a kitten.

He charged ahead with his pitch anyway- now or never.

“You must know there are stories about you- the problem is, no two are alike. I know you don’t like talking about your past- I don’t either. I mean I spent my childhood taking care of an alcoholic father, moved to Chicago when I was 16. I joined a gang to feel some sort of community- I did things I’m not proud of. I’ve seen things I’d rather forget. Writing…helped me make sense of it all. Turn my pain into something of substance- something other people could learn from.

I don’t know your story, Miss Cooper. I don’t know if it would be more appropriate inspiration for a children’s mystery or a hard-boiled detective novel- but if you’re willing, I’d very much like to hear it.”

She pursed her lips, considering him carefully. She hadn’t yelled at him or thrown him out of her office yet, that was a good sign at least.

“Let’s say, I agree…” She said at last. “This job is my life. I’m not exactly overflowing with free time.”

“I can work around your schedule.” He said quickly. “I’ll come to you, whatever’s easiest.” Several more seconds of silence passed as she considered his request. Jughead readied himself for disappointment.

“I’ll do it.” He blinked.

“Really?” She started writing something on a notepad- he felt like he had missed something. Was this really happening?

“Here’s my address. I usually come home around 8 pm, but I rarely fall asleep before midnight.” She tore the paper off the pad, handed it over, looked him straight in the eye, and added, “Bring wine.” 

He smiled.

“Red or white?”


End file.
